Biodiversity & Conservation

An amphipod - Leucothoe spinicarpa

An amphipod

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Distribution map

Leucothoe spinicarpa recorded (dark blue bullet) and expected (light blue bullet) distribution in Britain and Ireland (see below)

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Leucothoe spinicarpa is not listed under any importance categories.

Taxonomy icon Taxonomy Taxon English term
Phylum Arthropoda Arthropods, joint-legged animals, e.g. insects, crustaceans & spiders
Class Malacostraca Crabs, lobsters, sand hoppers and sea slaters
Authority (Abildgaard, 1789)
Recent synonyms Gammarus spinicarpa, Leucothoe articulata
Map icon Recorded Distribution in Britain and Ireland Expected to be found around all coasts of Britain and Ireland.
Habitat information icon Habitat information This species is found in the intertidal and shallow subtidal. Leucothoid amphipods are often associated with other organisms. Leucothoe spinicarpa is often found in the cavities of sponges and ascidians, as well as amongst the holdfasts of seaweeds.
Text page icon Description Leucothoe spinicarpa grows to around 12 mm in length, has a green, pink or white laterally compressed body and red eyes. In Leucothoe spinicarpa the large gnathopod 1 is carpochelate (the chelae articulate at the carpus not with the propodus, as in crabs) and the larger gnathopod 2 is subchelate but with a very protuberant carpus.
Identifying features
  • Gnathopod 1 large, carpochelate.
  • Gnathopod 2 larger than first, subchelate.
  • Male gnathopod 2 palm crenulated.
  • Epimeral plate 3 almost rectangular, lacking distinct tooth.
Additional information icon Additional information Leucothoe spinicarpa is believed to belong to a cosmopolitan species complex, meaning that possibly there are numerous species erroneously ascribed to Leucothoe spinicarpa.

This review can be cited as follows:

Andrew Hosie 2008. Leucothoe spinicarpa. An amphipod. Marine Life Information Network: Biology and Sensitivity Key Information Sub-programme [on-line]. Plymouth: Marine Biological Association of the United Kingdom. [cited 19/06/2013]. Available from: <http://www.marlin.ac.uk/speciesinformation.php?speciesID=4660>